Apparatus and method for spacing of threadlines in a warp sheet



Dec. 27, 1966 c, c s 3,293,720

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SPACING OF THREAOLINES IN A WARP SHEET Filed Oct. 12, 1964 we ii I n 0 en I or J4 wz flwems [ima es Allorney United States Patent Ofiice 3,293,720 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 3,293,720 APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SPACING F THREADLINES IN A WARP SHEET David Charles Cumhers, Pontypool, England, assignor to British Nylon Spinners Limited, Pontypool, England Filed Oct. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 403,236 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Oct. 16, 1963, 40,787/63 4 Claims. (Cl. 28-32) This invention relates to methods and devices for spacing the individual threadlines in a warp sheet.

In the process of warping, or beaming as it is sometimes called, a plurality of threadlines are withdrawn from individual supply bobbins mounted on a creel and are wound side-by-side on a beam to form a warp.

In warping for warp knitting, which is one field in which this invention is concerned some hundreds of ends of threadlines are thus wound together on to so called sections, these being flanged beams of which a number are employed together on a warp-knitting machine. In order to present the threadlines to the beam in a properly closely spaced parallel array it is necessary to pass them through reeds which conventionally comprise frames holding combs of closely spaced dents between which the yarns are passed with one yarn occupying the space between adjacent dents.

It is customary in warping to employ a number of such reeds and to position one of them, the so-called front reed, close to and in front of the warp onto which the yarns are being wound up.

When the required yardage of warp has been wound on to the beam the individual yarns of the warp sheet are fastened together in parallel relationship.

The fastening or gumming-out operation usually involves sandwiching the warp sheet, at a position intermediate the front reed and the beam, between gummed ta es.

iDuring this operation it is desirable that the individual yarns be accurately spaced and parallel so that they can be easily fitted into the appropriate needle bar or reed when the warp is subsequently loaded into, for example, a knitting machine or loom. After passage through the front reed of conventional design in a warping machine the individual yarns although generally parallel to one another are not necessarily accurately and uniformly spaced. This can be explained, at least in part, by the fact that the spaces between the dents of the reed through which the individual yarns pass have a width of approximately the same dimensions as the thickness of the teeth. Thus, with a warp sheet of yarns of normal textile denier the spaces have a width in the range of 0.015 to 0.020 inch and since a yarn can take up any position within the width of the space it follows that the tendency is for the individual yarns in a warp sheet to be inaccurately spaced.

An object of this invention is to provide a device to improve the accuracy of the spacing of the yarns in a warp sheet relative to the accuracy which is achieved by passing the warp sheet through a reed of conventional design. Another object is to provide a relatively simple and convenient method for improving the accuracy of the spacing of the yarn in a warp sheet.

According to one feature of my invention I achieve these objects by providing a method which comprises the steps of positioning a cylindrical bar, which carries on its longitudinal surface a helical thread, in abutment with a face of a reed through which the warp sheet passes, with the peaks of the thread form located in the spaces between the pins of said reed, and moving the cylindrical bar to pick up the warp sheet the individual threadlines of which take up a position in the troughs of the thread form.

According to another feature of my invention there is provided a device for winding a warp sheet onto a beam comprising a reed between the dents of which individual yarns may be located, a screw-threaded rod having a double helical pitch of such fineness that the peaks of the screw thread may pass into the spaces between the dents of the reed, and guide means to allow said screwthreaded rod to be moved into a first position such that the peaks of the thread pass into said spaces and thence along the spaces towards the outer ends of the dents into a second position such that individual yarns may be located in the troughs of the screw thread.

Conveniently the screw thread has a large depth for a given pitch and a thin peak, and in practice I prefer to use a thread the profile of which has a half included angle in the range of 5 to 12. With half included angles of this magnitude the thread troughs have a width of but between 0.005 and 0.007 inch.

With such a screw thread, when the peak of a thread enters the space between two dents of a reed a tangent touching the root of a thread at the bottom of the trough will lie normal to but in the same plane as the tangent touching the peak of the thread contiguous to the trough. Thus when a thread peak passes into the space between two upstanding dents that part of the trough formed by such peak and its contiguous one which will be more or less directly below a yarn passing through the dent. Therefore if the peaks of the screw thread on the red are located between the dents of a reed and the rod is then moved along the dents towards their free ends the yarns between the dents will be trapped in the troughs of the screw thread.

The thread rod bar may be carried on two spindles which are located, and which move in, appropriately shaped slots cut in brackets mounted on either side of the warping machine.

The thread rod bar may be moved normally, for example, through a simple link arrangement, although more complicated drive mechanisms may be employed.

Conveniently the thread rod bar is made of metal with the thread machined on its longitudinal surface, but other suitable materials for the cylindrical bar include wood and a number of synthetic plastics.

These and other features of this invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which;

FIGURE 1 shows in diagrammatic form a side elevation of a part of the device according to one feature of this invention in which a helical-1y threaded cylindrical rod is used in combination with a reed known per se to improve the accuracy of the spacing of individual yarns in a warp sheet; and

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a part of the device along the line A-A in FIGURE 1.

A cylindrical metal rod 1 has a spindle 2 at each end. Each spindle is positioned in a slot 3 out in a bracket 4 mounted at the side of a warping machine (not shown) close to a reed 7 through which a warp sheet 8 passes.

As shown in FIGURE 2 the metal rod has a two start helical thread 9 with thread peaks 10 and troughs 11.

Reference numerals 1', 1", and 1 indicate the cylindrical metal rod 1 at various positions as the spindles 2 moves in the slots 3. A suitable link mechanism (not shown) attached to the two spindles is provided for moving the rod 1.

In operation the rod is first moved into a position indicated by reference numeral 1' with the rod in abutment with a face of the reed 7 and the thread peaks located in the space between the dents 12 of the reed. The rod is then raised to a position 1" where it contacts the Warp sheet in such manner that the individual yarns 13 take up positions in the thread troughs 11.

In the position represented by reference numeral 1 the cylindrical rod is drawn back from the reed 7 and the individual yarns .13 of the warp sheet are reasonably accurately spaced between the rod and the reed, and ample space is afforded for allowing the warp sheet to be gummed-out between the reed and the rod.

What I claim is:

1. A method of spacing the threadlines in a warp sheet which comprises the steps of positioning a cylindrical bar, which carries on its longitudinal surface a helical thread, in abutment with a face of a reed through which the warp sheet passes, with the peaks of the thread form located in the spaces between the pins of said reed, and moving the cylindrical bar to pick up the warp sheet, the individual threadlines of which take up a position in the troughs of the thread form.

2. A device for winding a warp sheet onto a beam comprising a reed between the dents of which individual yarns may be located, a screw-threaded rod having a double helical pitch of such fineness that the peaks of the screw thread may pass into the spaces between the dents of the reed, and guide means to allow said screw-threaded rod to be moved into a first position such that the peaks of the thread pass into the said spaces and thence along the spaces towards the outer ends of the dents into a second position such that individual yarns may be located in the troughs of the screw thread.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein the guide means is also arranged to allow the screw-threaded rod to be moved away from the reed in a path parallel to the path taken by the yarns from the reed to the beam.

4. A method of winding a warp sheet onto a beam comprising guiding the individual yarns between the dents of a reed to the beam, moving a helica-lly-threaded rod towards the reed so that the peaks of the screw-thread pass into the spaces between the dents, thereafter moving the threaded rod along the said spaces to trap the yarns of the warp sheet in the troughs of the screw-thread thereby to cause them to lie parallel to each other and finally moving the threaded rod towards the beam in a path parallel to the path of the warp sheet to permit the parallel yarns to be secured against mutual relative movement.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 600,670 3/1898 Field 2844 1,147,413 7/1915 Lea 2843 2,696,654 12/ 1954 Townsend 2844 FOREIGN PATENTS 687,132 2/1963 Great Britain.

7,574 3/1898 Norway.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

L. K. RIMRODT, Assistant Examiner. 

2. A DEVICE FOR WINDING A WRAP SHEET ONTO A BEAM COMPRISING A REED BETWEEN THE DENTS OF WHICH INDIVIDUAL YARNS MAY BE LOCATED, A SCREW-THREADED ROD HAVING A DOUBLE HELICAL PITCH OF SUCH FINENESS THAT THE PEAKS OF THE SCREW THREAD MAY PASS INTO THE SPACES BETWEEN THE DENTS OF THE REED, AND GUIDE MEANS TO ALLOW SAID SCREW-THREADED ROD TO BE MOVED INTO A FIRST POSITION SUCH THAT THE PEAKS OF THE THREAD PASS INTO THE SAID SPACES AND THENCE ALONG THE SPACES TOWARDS THE OUTER ENDS OF THE DENTS INTO A SECOND POSITION SUCH THAT INDIVIDUAL YARNS MAY BE LOCATED IN THE TROUGHS OF THE SCREW THREAD. 